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2 weeks ago | 
farm-equipment.com | Gregg Wartgow
Machine autonomy has tremendous potential throughout the agriculture industry. But when it comes to leveraging a fully autonomous solution, few market segments present as much immediate potential as sod farms. “Due to the extremely high acre travel involved with sod farming, we view it as the best market opportunity for autonomy right now,” says Mike Burdick, sales director at Sabanto, a developer of autonomous retrofit kits for tractors. A dealer down South helped bring the opportunity to light.
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3 weeks ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
“For the people who still want to delete, a lot of it is driven by past experience,” Lopez said. “Maybe they had a truck they had to spend a lot of money on, but the problem kept coming back. More often than not, that can be tied back to misdiagnosis, along with a lack of understanding of how an aftertreatment system actually works. Maybe the dealer or shop didn’t catch everything when that truck was in for service. They just treated a symptom, but not the root cause.
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3 weeks ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
What drives the desire to delete? During the pre-2014 era of diesel aftertreatment systems, the desire to delete was often driven by the desire for more horsepower and fuel economy. Those pain points went away, for the most part. “Once the GHG standard was introduced in 2014, the focus shifted from reducing NOx emissions to lowering CO2 levels,” said Jason Hedman, product manager at Noregon, a provider of diagnostic tools and solutions. “The only way to lower CO2 was to increase the fuel economy.
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3 weeks ago | 
constructionequipment.com | Gregg Wartgow
Also consider space constraints on the truck. Air compressor systems that install under the engine hood, such as VMAC’s Underhood 70, are lighter and help free up space on the truck deck or cargo area. A technician’s need for storage space was a big driving force behind one of Miller Electric’s latest product introductions.
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1 month ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
“We’ve taken steer-by-wire technology to the next level by integrating it into our innovative REEcorner technology,” said Peter Dow, vice president of engineering and UK managing director at REE Automotive. “This system consolidates all essential vehicle functions—steering, braking, suspension, powertrain, and control—into a compact, modular unit located at each wheel.
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1 month ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
One benefit of natural gas is the fact that it’s a domestically produced fuel. In the U.S., natural gas is produced from shale and other types of sedimentary rock formations through a process commonly known as fracking. While natural gas is a cleaner fuel that produces significantly fewer tailpipe emissions, there are some well-to-wheel emissions associated with the extraction, production, and distribution of this alternative fuel.
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1 month ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
Natural gas is a cleaner, cheaper fuel that can help fleets slash emissions and lower operating costs. And now, with last year’s introduction of Cummins’ 15L natural gas engine with power ratings up to 500 hp, the X15N, this domestically produced fuel is becoming a viable option for a wider range of fleets. Natural gas has already gained widespread acceptance among refuse truck and transit bus fleets. There has also been solid adoption among vocational fleets that rely on 9L engines.
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1 month ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
Cummins Drivetrain and Braking SystemsKingpins are the crucial connector between the axle and steering knuckle. Meritor’s FastSet spiral bushing and ReadySet bi-metal bushing kingpin lines have been around for several years, but continue to evolve to meet the diverse needs of fleets. “FastSet now covers 95% of trucks on the road for more than 5,000 make/model/year truck applications,” said Sam Marco, senior manager for Cummins Drivetrain and Braking Systems, Aftermarket.
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1 month ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
Engines get all the attention—and certainly they pull their weight and then some—but it’s the tractors and trailers’ suspension system that carry the burden of everything above them, while also absorbing all the bumps and potholes below. And don’t forget about the steering systems, without which all that power generated by the engine might not go where the driver intends. Maybe we overlook these systems because, aside from the steering wheel, you can’t readily see the components.
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2 months ago | 
fleetmaintenance.com | Gregg Wartgow
Last month, API also launched a new web resource on DEF quality, purchasing, and storage best practices. And because in less than two years, NOx rules will get more stringent and cause the aftertreatment system to work more efficiently, becoming a DEF whisperer will be even more critical to ensuring fleet uptime. First off, why do diesel trucks need DEF? The short answer is emissions regulations. More technically, DEF scrubs Nitrous Oxide (NOx) emissions post-combustion.
